Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

Joakim Andersson is one of the most consistent young prospects to have played in the Swedish junior league during the past few years. He always comes to work and always delivers a rock-solid effort.

2007-08: Andersson centered for Boras HC, putting up 23 points (6g+17a) in 33 appearances. He jumped over to Frolunda HC (SWE-U20) for six games, scoring eight goals and two assists. He was then brought up to Frolunda’s senior club, where he netted one goal in nine games. He helped Sweden earn the silver medal at the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, helping with six assists in as many games.

2008-09: Andersson spent most of the season with Frolunda in the Elitserien, scoring 6 goals, 6 assists in 49 games. He was held scoreless in 11 playoff games with Frolunda. In 4 games on loan to Boras in the Allsvenskan, he scored 2 goals with 2 assists. The center also made his North American debut, registering 1 assist in his first regular season game with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL. He stuck with Grand Rapids in the playoffs and scored 1 goal and 3 points in 10 AHL playoff games. Andersson was a mainstay on Sweden's U20 teams, scoring 8 goals and 15 points in 15 international matches. Those totals include 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 games at the World Junior Championships, where Andersson served as an alternate captain and helped Sweden to a silver medal.

2010-11: Andersson spent his rookie season for the Grand Rapids Griffins honing his defensive skills and adjusting to the North American game. He was also able to put up 7 goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 79 games.

2011-12: Andersson made his NHL debut with Detroit in late December, seeing action in four games before being returned to AHL Grand Rapids, and appeared in one March game with the Red Wings. In five NHL games he was plus-one with no points or penalty minutes – averaging 6:40 minutes of ice time per game. A solid defensive forward and penalty killer for the Griffins, Andersson contributed offensively late in the season. He scored 21 goals with 30 assists and was plus-five with 34 penalty minutes in 73 games. Grand Rapids missed the AHL playoffs; finishing fourth in the North Division.

Talent Analysis

He has very good size and strength and leadership abilities, is aggressive and pretty physical, but could still play the body even more. His hockey sense is very good and playmaking ability above average. A good penalty killer and defensively the best draft-eligible Swedish forward in his draft year. The knock on Andersson is his skating and mobility. Not the slowest of skaters by any means, but his acceleration could use some work.

Future

Had a breakthrough season offensively with Grand Rapids in 2011-12, playing himself into the mix to make the Red Wings in 2012-13. While he may not crack the opening night lineup for an already forward heavy team, he could see time as an injury call up.

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Photo: Center Joakim Andersson was a steady presence for the Red Wings during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and has since rejoined Grand Rapids in the Calder Cup Finals (courtesy of Tony Ding/Icon SMI)

Playoff success may be the Detroit Red Wings' calling card, but this season it was not just the NHL club that experienced an extended postseason run. The Red Wings took the Chicago Blackhaws to seven games before bowing out in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and this may have been a blessing in disguise for Detroit. A number of players were able to be sent down to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, who are having the most notable playoff run in the organization; they are currently battling the Syracuse Crunch for the Calder Cup and hold a 2-0 series advantage after a pair of road victories to begin the series. Red Wings prospects also had significant success in the NCAA Tournament and the Mastercard Memorial Cup tournament.

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Photo: Rookie goaltender Petr Mrazek has made a great first impression at the pro level, taking the reins in AHL Grand Rapids and even earning a call-up to Detroit (courtesy of Brad Rempel/Icon SMI)

Spring is just around the corner, and as the weather heats up so too does the on-ice action in leagues around the world. As we reach the end of the season in junior hockey and the stretch run in professional hockey we pause to look back at how prospects in the Detroit Red Wings organization have progressed since the puck first dropped last fall.

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Photo: The Detroit Red Wings have several minor league prospects who are likely to crack the NHL lineup out of training camp, including Slovakian winger Tomas Tatar. (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

The beginning of the 2012-13 AHL season was not kind to the Grand Rapids Griffins. On November 2nd they were 2-4-1-1 and languishing, lacking strong defensive play and goaltending. Enter Petr Mrazek, who ripped off six consecutive wins and seemed to right the ship for the Griffins. As of January 7th, Grand Rapids was 20-10-1-2 and atop the Midwest division.

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Photo: Swedish forward Calle Jarnkrok, currently playing with Brynas in the SEL, is the cream of the crop at center for the Detroit Red Wings prospect pool. (courtesy of Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

A paradigm shift occurred for the Detroit Red Wings after the 2004-05 NHL lockout. Gone were the days where Detroit would readily hand out early-round draft picks in exchange for veteran NHL talent. Instead, Detroit decided that they would need to hold on to their draft choices in order to build a prospect pool with skill and size that would help them compete in the new-look NHL.